


Chance Encounter

by Jade4813



Category: Lois Lane: Fallout - Gwenda Bond
Genre: F/M, First Meetings, POV First Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-14
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-10-18 16:17:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10620561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jade4813/pseuds/Jade4813
Summary: This is actually off the prompt "Please...don't go" from Tumblr. Lois and SmallvilleGuy have a chance encounter. I wanted to get this story out before Gwenda's third book in the series comes out!





	

“Oh, please no. Tell me you’re not turning it up!” I rolled my eyes at my dad, but he was unfazed by my lack of enthusiasm as he started to sing along. “This is the last time you get control of the radio,” I grumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

He turned it down a notch so that he could reply. “I’ll have you know, there was a time this song was incredibly cool.”

I arched an eyebrow at him. “When? The stone age?” 

He tried to throw me a stern glare, but I saw the edges of his mouth twitch with amusement. It didn’t stop him from cranking up the radio again and bellowing out the lyrics at the top of his lungs.

That was my dad. Ninety-eight percent of the time, he was one of the most terrifying men on the planet. The other two percent of the time, however, he was an enormous dork.

Because I didn’t want to encourage this behavior, I ducked my head so he couldn’t see me mouth along with the song. Maybe his taste in music wasn’t as bad as I let on, but a girl had to have some pride.

As he aimed for a high note and missed, I snuck a peek at the map in my lap. I still couldn’t entirely believe my luck. It was only a few days ago that Dad had announced that he had some business to handle out of town for a few days and, since Lucy and I were off school, we could road trip it as a family and have something like a brief vacation together. But then Lucy came down with some kind of bug, so it was just Dad and me.

Normally, I wouldn’t have been so excited – it was hardly the first road trip we’d taken together for his job. But this time, I was allowed to be the navigator. And this trip took us through Kansas. With only a small detour, it took us right past a little town called Smallville, in fact.

The fact that I was basically plotting against my friend made me feel a little bad. But this was my big chance! I’d wanted to know my mysterious friend’s secret identity for ages, and for the first time, I had a real chance to maybe – just maybe – get some answers. My almost ludicrous level of excitement at the thought almost managed to drown out the slight squeamishness I got whenever it occurred to me that SmallvilleGuy might just see this as some kind of betrayal. Surely he would understand. Right?

I pushed my reservations aside as I checked the mile marker. We were getting close, and none of this would matter if I didn’t manage to time this perfectly. I wanted Dad to stop off in Smallville, but I couldn’t let him think there was anything particularly notable about the stop. My friendship with SmallvilleGuy was still a secret, after all.

I saw a small sign on the side of the road and waited until it had almost passed before reaching over and turning down the radio a bit. “I’m getting hungry. Can we stop off somewhere?” I’d actually been starving for at least an hour. This wasn’t my first time driving through Kansas, but I somehow always forgot just how long of a trip it was.

“You sure you don’t want to wait until we get to the next city?” he asked, pulling into the right-hand lane, just in case. “There may not be that many food options in these small towns, you know.”

I had anticipated the suggestion and prepared an argument in response. I wasn’t in the mood for fast food, but I was really hoping I could find a place that sold fresh, home-made pie. Dad laughed and agreed and, easy as that, we were on the way to Smallville.

And I was that much closer to finding my friend.

The main strip in Smallville was like something out of a storybook, full of quaint little shops and neatly-trimmed trees lining the walk. It was very peaceful, with the kind of wholesome charm that would drive me mad within a week. But it was the exact kind of place I had pictured SmallvilleGuy living.

We pulled over in front of a little café in the middle of the street that seemed to be doing brisk business. I was hoping what they said about small towns – that everyone knew everything about everyone else – was true. If so, there wouldn’t likely be a better place to get the information I needed. 

It was all I could do to conceal my excitement and impatience as we sat down to lunch. We ate quickly – my dad had never been very good at enjoying a leisurely meal, particularly when he was eager to get back on the road. But I wasn’t new to wanting to derail his plans, and I knew just how to do it. 

I bided my time until we were headed to the front to pay. I scanned the room, hoping I would get lucky and find what I needed. There. A little to the right. A table with four old men who all had the bearing of former military men and the unmistakable air of old men who liked to swap war stories. When we passed close enough, I said something to my dad, calling him “General” just loud enough for them to hear. 

Just as I’d hoped, I caught their attention and they caught my dad’s. He would never be rude to veterans who wanted to talk about their service, no matter how much he wanted to stick to schedule. So now there were five old men swapping war stories, and I had ten minutes to myself. If I was lucky. 

It was time to see if anyone in town knew of some farmers who had a cow named Nellie Bly.

I targeted the older woman behind the counter. She had an easy smile and the unhurried air of a woman who liked to take the time to chat. I scooted up to the counter and hoped she wasn’t adverse to gossip with an out-of-towner. I was encouraged by the way her smile grew as I leaned in and started with small talk.

But when the time came to ask her about the local livestock, I opened my mouth but I couldn’t force myself to do it. Stalling for time, I ordered a cup of coffee to go, silently calling myself a coward as she turned to pour it.

This was my chance to find out who SmavilleGuy was. Maybe my only chance. Was I really going to come all this way and walk away with nothing?

“So, I was wondering if you could help me with something. I know this is going to sound strange, but I – ” I paused, willing myself to continue. I just had to find a way to explain how I knew his cow’s name but not his family’s name without sounding like a complete idiot and ask her if she knew his name or his address. Then I would figure out what to do next.

She was looking at me with her eyebrows raised in mild interest and seemed willing to try to help, at least. It would be so easy to find out the truth – to finally get some answers about mysterious friend. I could do this. I could.

I couldn’t do it. He was the best friend I’d ever had, even with all his secrets, and I just couldn’t betray his trust like that. I felt a little sick that I’d even tried.

“Could I – uh – could I have a slice of pie to go?” I finished lamely. “I don’t know who made it, but it’s really good.”

She looked a little disappointed that the request wasn’t more interesting than pie. So was I, really. But she nodded her head and reached for the display case. “I’ll pass the compliment along.”

Thanking her politely, I let her know my dad would be picking up the tab for both the drink and the pie and headed outside. It was sweltering, even in the shade under the awning where I took cover, but I didn’t care. I needed a few minutes to deal with my disappointment before I was sure I could hide it in front of my dad. 

Feeling guilty about what I’d almost done, I chastised my curiosity in a low mumble as I started to pace back and forth. I knew I was doing the right thing in letting him keep his secret, but I didn’t know if I should confess to what I’d almost done to him, the next time we talked. Did he deserve to know how close I’d come, even if nothing had come of it? Or would it make him feel that he couldn’t trust me, ruining everything before anything had even happened?

I was so preoccupied with my dilemma that I didn’t notice the guy strolling down the sidewalk towards the café until I almost bowled him over. Well, to be more accurate, until I careened off of him like a pinball and almost fell over; he barely seemed to register the impact.

I staggered back with a sharp cry, before I could land rather ignominiously on the ground, I felt him grab me by the arms and pull me back to my feet. He held on a second longer, waiting to make sure I was steady.

“Sorry about that. Are you okay?”

His voice was low and warm, and I straightened my sunglasses, pushing them up the bridge of my nose, as I looked up at him with a sheepish smile. “My fault,” I admitted. “I was lost in thought and didn’t see you.” Even as I said the words, I wondered that they could have been true. The stranger was tall and solid and, I realized belatedly, cute. I couldn’t see the exact color of his eyes due to the tint of my sunglasses, but his hair was dark, his smile infectious, and his glasses did little to diminish his appeal, lending him a bookish air that some girls would go find impossible to resist.

Not me, of course. My heart was loyal in its crush on my mysterious friend, even if my curiosity sometimes got the better of me. At the reminder, I flushed. 

He let me go and stepped back, though his eyes narrowed as he did. “You did seem to have a lot on your mind. Is everything okay?”

I tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. Shoving my hands in my pockets, I mumbled, “Ah…yeah. My curiosity sometimes gets in the way of my desire to be a good person, is all.”

The stranger chuckled. “I have a friend like that. Her curiosity is always getting her into trouble…but she’s also the most amazing person I know. If you’re anything like her, I’m sure it’s a fair fight, at least.” He was so earnest, it made me think of every stereotype I’d ever heard about the wholesomeness of people from small towns. The grin I threw him in response was genuine. 

He could have carried on with his day at that point, but he didn’t seem eager to move on. Instead, his head tilted slightly to the side and he said, “If you don’t mind me asking, what about Smallville has you so intrigued? It’s a pretty small town; few people passing by on the interstate even notice us, let alone become overcome with curiosity.”

“That obvious I’m an outsider, huh?” I joked lamely.

His shoulders rolled in a slight shrug, and his voice was a little sheepish when he answered, “Like I said, it’s a pretty small town. Everyone knows everyone here.”

There was something so endearing about his reaction, I couldn’t resist the temptation to tease him a bit more. “I could have just moved in!”

He chuckled. “Not likely. The only place for sale around here is old Peterson’s Farm, and since that house only has three walls and half of a roof, it’s not exactly the kind of place city-folk picture as home sweet home.”

I lifted my hands in a gesture of surrender. “All right; you got me. My dad and I are on a road trip, and we’re just passing through in search of pie.” I decided not to tell him about my nefarious plan; that would be way too much honesty to throw on a stranger, even if he was cute.

“Well, then, you came to the right place. Annie makes the best pie in the county – next to my mom, of course.”

Okay. That was absolutely charming, though I was too much of a hardened city-girl to let him know I thought so. “I took a slice to go. Anything else I should know about Smallville while I’m here?”

“Oh, there’s plenty to see around here. It’s too bad you’re not sticking around for longer; I’d give you the nickel tour.”

I grinned. “Yeah, I don’t think my dad has the patience for that. I have a penny and about two minutes. What kind of tour will that get me?”

He made a soft sound like a hum and looked around. “Ah…well…if you’re in the market for chicken feed, Dawson’s Farmer’s Market next door is the place to go.”

“Oh, I definitely –” I began, but I was cut off as an older couple left the farmer’s market and turned towards us.

“Clark, we’re done if you’re ready to – ah –” The older woman looked at the two of us, standing on the sidewalk, and pivoted on her heel. “Actually, you know, I think we forgot a few things. We’ll be inside whenever you – um – whenever you’re ready to go!” she called cheerfully, pushing the man with her rather forcefully back towards the store.

“What? Martha, what are you –” the older man started to protest, but then he followed her gaze. His mouth snapped shut and he followed his wife back into the store without further complaint.

Clark. It was nice to put a name to the face, even if I never would see it again. “Your parents, I assume?” I drawled as I turned my attention back to him.

His face was beet red, but his voice shook only a little when he deadpanned, “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, suddenly a little sorry I couldn’t stick around and get to know him better. He was the kind of guy I would want to hang out with at school – if we didn’t live in two entirely different states, of course.

With a pang of regret, I looked over my shoulder through the windows of the café and saw my dad was wrapping up his conversation with the old timers. “Looks like I’m going to be hitting the road in a minute,” I murmured. I stepped deeper into the shade of the awning, waving at the window to let him know I was outside, before turning back to my companion. As I did so, I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head.

“Anyway, it was nice to meet you. Sorry about bumping into you and everything,” I offered.

“Purple,” he blurted in response, his gaze meeting mine. “Your eyes are purple.” He looked absolutely stunned.

I grimaced and slid the sunglasses back on, feeling a bit self-conscious. “Ah…yeah. Unusual, I know.” I was a bit thrown by his reaction. I’d encountered surprise before. Even amazement. I’d definitely heard one too many comparisons to Elizabeth Taylor. But I’d never before met someone who reacted like someone who’d been struck right between the eyes.

He looked over my shoulder at my dad walked towards the front door of the café and stammered, “I know you need to get going but please…don’t go. I need to tell you –”

Before he could finish his thought, Dad came out onto the sidewalk. “Lois, you ready to go? We’re going to get to the hotel late if we don’t get moving.”

“Ah, sure,” I agreed. I threw one last smile at my would-be friend. “It was nice to meet you, Clark.”

“Y-you too, Lois.” Dad charged on ahead, but before I could follow, Clark stepped closer and reached for my arm. His hand paused in mid-air before he could make contact, and we just stared at each other for a long moment. 

This was it: my last chance to find out anything about SmallvilleGuy. I had decided to let him keep his secret, but was I really going to let this opportunity slip away entirely? Knowing I had only seconds left, I asked, “Hey…let me ask you. Do you by any chance know a guy about our age, who lives on a farm and has a cow named Nellie Bly?”

Clark straightened and took a half step back. “Yeah…of course I do.”

I was dying to ask him for more information, but I managed to resist temptation and instead asked, “Next time you see him, could you do me a favor? Tell him…tell him I said, ‘See you around, Smallville.’”

Dad called out my name, so I spun around and raced to the car, a big grin on my face. In retrospect, my message had been a bit cheesy. If I’d planned ahead of time, I would have come up with something better. But I knew I’d done the right thing in not trying to track him down. It was the closest we’d ever come to meeting – it was entirely possible it was the closest we probably ever would come to meeting, in fact. 

One day, when he felt comfortable enough to share his secret (whatever it was) with me, maybe we would meet. I hoped that day would come. In the meantime…well, I’d spent a few minutes chatting with someone who could have become a friend, under different circumstances. 

"All right, navigator, ready to go?" Dad asked as I buckled my seatbelt and grabbed the map.

I shot one last glance at the guy standing on the sidewalk, offering him one final wave before grabbing the map. "Yeah. Let's go."


End file.
